Universities that don't innovate must shut down, Yoon says

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, presides over a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul. [YONHAP]

Universities that fail to innovate must shut down, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday during a Cabinet meeting.

According to multiple sources who exclusively spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo, Yoon blasted Korea’s higher education sector, calling it “a cartel of suppliers with vested interests.”

Yoon then turned to Lee Ju-ho, who doubles as the education minister and deputy prime minister, saying, “Universities that embrace innovation should be strongly supported [by the government], while those that fail to do so should be weeded out.”

A high-level government official who later spoke to the paper on condition of anonymity explained that Yoon intended to emphasize the need for educational reforms that prioritize students, the “side of demand,” rather than the traditional focus on educators such as professors, the “side of supply.”

Yoon was said to have cited Seoul National University (SNU), his alma mater, as a prime example of educational reform, mentioning how the school recently announced plans to drastically overhaul its admissions system.

In its latest mid- to long-term development plan for 2022 to 2040, the elite university said last year that it would work to remove barriers between different majors by selecting freshmen in a bundle, not based on preset quotas for each discipline.

After entering school, the students will be able to explore their interests and aptitudes through general education programs, and then decide which academic field to pursue.

Under the revised academic system, SNU students will be able to design their own curricula by mixing and matching courses from various disciplines, with an aim to grow into “convergent talents.”

In the meeting, Yoon was also said to have criticized professors who refuse to follow the trend and lackadaisically use the same teaching materials for decades, suggesting that the public sector must lead by example.

Referring to rumors about high-level government officials in Sejong seeking positions with light workloads, Yoon underscored the need for ministers to take decisive personnel actions if the rumors proved to be true, ensuring that those involved would face regrettable consequences.

Yoon instructed Kim Seung-ho, minister of personnel management, to think of ways to “improve” the current classification system for civil servants, which is divided into grades 1 through 9.

In opening remarks, Yoon highlighted the importance of educational reform at universities, stating that it’s essential for nurturing talents in advanced industries. In line with those remarks, the Ministry of Education lately announced five universities and three university coalitions to receive a total of 54 billion won ($42.4 million) this year to foster semiconductor talent.

SNU was among the schools chosen for funding.

Over the next four years, each of the selected universities or coalitions will have to produce at least 50 undergraduate-level semiconductor graduates every year while using the fund to develop specialized semiconductor curricula and education programs.

By 2026, the Education Ministry plans to designate 30 universities located outside the Seoul metropolitan area of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi that have the most promising innovation plans to receive funding under a total 3 trillion won support budget.

BY PARK TAE-IN, LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]